FOR THE NEWS-LEADER

Jerinda King

Until its upcoming move, the Grotto can be found in a strip center on Kimbrough. / Jess Heugel/For the News-Leader

With a seating capacity of 60, the Grotto sometimes gets more of a crowd than it has room for — a problem the owner is addressing by moving soon to a new, larger building. / Jess Heugel/For the News-Leader

Because of its off-the-beaten path location, many folks don’t know about the Grotto, but those who do can’t get enough of its distinct flavors and unique combinations. We were happy to join Jerinda King when she suggested the restaurant’s Steak and Gorgonzola Salad.

Jerinda's Take

Like many, Jerinda rode past the Grotto not even noticing it. “I’d been by a hundred times and never even thought about it,” she admits. Her friend, though, suggested the restaurant, and not only that, but that she get the Steak and Gorgonzola Salad, because it was the best salad they had, by far. She loved it. “I don’t come very often so when I do, I always get the steak salad, because I know I like it.”

In addition to her favorite salad, she enjoys the restaurant’s casual atmosphere and friendly staff. “I don’t like loud places,” she says, “and the staff has always been really friendly every time I’ve been here.”

Before we get our salad, we enjoy the Bleu Cheese Chips ($4), at my suggestion. The homestyle chips come covered with crumbled blue cheese and melted blue cheese, a combination Jerinda’s excited about. “Blue cheese is so good,” she says. She loves the combination of salty and sour together.

Her salad comes with fresh greens, steak, gorgonzola cheese, cinnamon pecans, caramelized onions, roma tomatoes and house balsamic vinaigrette. Like the blue cheese chips, the salad works because of the great combination of flavors. “I love the combination,” she says. The vinaigrette and blue cheese give a tangy, sour flavor, and the caramelized onions and pecans give it some sweet.

Without her friend’s suggestion, she would’ve never thought to order the salad, “but this works,” she says.

Katie's Take

Like Jerinda, I probably drove past the Grotto hundreds of times before I actually tried it. Maybe even more, since I live in very close proximity to the restaurant. Friends would talk about it — I even heard tales of the blue cheese chips and steak salad before ever walking through the doors the first time — yet I had never tried it.

(Page 2 of 3)

Full disclaimer: I love the Grotto. It fits every palate. The menu lets you know which items can be made gluten free or vegan and which are low-calorie. They even have a gluten-free pizza crust option, which makes a few of my gluten-sensitive friends happy.

When I go to the Grotto, I usually enjoy a beer, as they have a great selection of gourmet brews. The blue cheese chips are a must, too. When I first went to the Grotto, my husband told me I had to get the blue cheese chips. I looked at him skeptically, as I used to not really enjoy blue cheese, but I ordered them anyway. I think it was probably the Grotto’s blue cheese chips that turned me onto the cheese’s sour, smoky flavor. The chips are served warm, and I see fresh herbs sprinkled over the melty cheese.

I usually get a pizza or a burger at the Grotto. Their pizzas are eclectic, so I ask the cashier which pizza is the best. He tells me to try the Carnitas Habanero Pizza, which has fresh cilantro pesto, mozzarella, provolone, hand-pulled smoked pork, black bean corn salsa, roasted peach habañero sauce and queso fresco cheese. Wow, that’s a lot of flavors, so I agree.

The Grotto is known for taking a variety of flavors and putting them together, as Jerinda notes, and this pizza is no exception. It’s spicy, but the sweet peach salsa makes that bearable. Every few bites, I get a piece of the corn salsa or a cilantro flavoring. It’s all great, and it definitely has enough cheese. It’s not overloaded with pork, but there’s enough to make it an obvious, smoky addition. I’d recommend this pizza for those who like a little spice in their lives.

The Dish, the Restaurant

Because of the restaurant’s large crowds, the Grotto will be expanding and moving to a brand new building in front of the Food 4 Less Plaza at the end of January. “We’re getting to the point where we’ve got a lot of people walking out just because there weren’t any places to sit,” owner Mark Coleman says of the decision to move.

The popular menu he’s fashioned combines American classics with ethnic ingredients, particularly those of Latin, Asian and sometimes Mediterranean persuasion. The restaurant enjoys offering vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options and has had a great response to its distinct offerings. “If there’s enough volume to justify keeping it on the menu, then we will,” he says.

(Page 3 of 3)

The Steak Gorgonzola Salad was added to the menu as a great pairing to a cabernet wine. “Steak goes with cabernet,” he says. And while most people don’t enjoy the salad with a glass of wine, it’s still the most popular salad. The richness and fat from the wine and made-in-house balsamic vinaigrette dressing go well with the sweetness of the cinnamon pecans and onions. “It rounds everything out and balances it out,” he says.

Though the Carnitas Habañero pizza is a special, Coleman says he’ll probably add it to the menu when the restaurant moves to its new location. “We’re going to be dropping off some of our plain-Jane items and getting back to more of our progressive food route.” He seeks to find flavors for his pizza that guests can’t find anywhere else. “We’ve had a pretty good response,” he says of the pizza.

Like the salad, the pizza pairs the sweet with the savory. “You try to encompass everything you can and to add texture,” he says. “We try to make everything so it’s complete.”

The Grotto’s menu definitely showcases Coleman’s desire to add interesting flavors to traditional dishes, such as pizza and salad. And with a new location right on Battlefield Road, you’ll be able to find it easily, too.